Michael Abrams and dSpace Studio Redo an Astor Street Mansion

CLASSIC TWIST: An Astor Street mansion is returned to what it was meant to be—a luxurious single-family home.

By Tate Gunnerson

Published Feb. 7, 2013

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Large framed mirrors behind a pair of contemporary consoles create the illusion of more space in the living room, which opens onto the dining room. A trio of Venetian glass chandeliers adds modern glamour. See more photos in the gallery below.

Being hired to redo the interior of a landmarked Astor Street mansion built in 1899 was a dream come true for designer Michael Abrams. But before he put pen to paper, he encouraged his new clients to dream a little bigger themselves.

“It was a home that needed to be restored to its original grandeur,” he says. “I felt that we should involve an architect to do it justice.” The 11,000-square-foot five-level house had been through a lot—being chopped up into nine apartments was, indisputably, its lowest point. It had later been reassembled into a five-bedroom, ten-bath single-family residence, with a rear addition that was never completed.

Abrams recommended Kevin Toukoumidis, of dSpace Studio, to help rethink the house, and the two soon began collaborating to complete its transformation. With the help of Fraser Construction, they moved, widened, and articulated walls, re-created the original windows with double-insulated glass, and installed new transom windows in the rear addition, among other bold moves. To ensure a cohesive aesthetic, they worked closely together on colors, surface finishes, and furnishings.

“Kevin and I merged our mindsets from the very beginning, which is why the result is so cohesive,” Abrams explains. “We developed that language very early in the project and stayed true to it.”